A floor mat made of an elastomeric material is known to be often placed on part of the floor of an automobile vehicle, particularly in that area of the floor of the vehicle corresponding to the place where the driver places his/her feet to actuate the pedals of the vehicle. Such floor mats are generally made of an elastomeric material which is relatively deformable in order to take the particular shape of the vehicle floor in this area and in order to protect the floor proper from the wear resulting from the pressure and friction exerted in particular by the driver's heel.
As a general rule, such floor mats comprise some ribs to avoid the point of abutment of the foot which is engaged on the pedals sliding. A drawback of such a floor mat consists in that the driver's soles are often covered with particles of dust, gravel or earth, or any other like materials, and the friction of the heel or sole on the floor mat causes these particles to be deposited on said floor mat. This results in that, under the effect of the relative movements of the driver's shoe with respect to the floor mat, the gravel or like material acts like an abrasive, causing alteration and wear of part of the driver's shoe. This is particularly the case when the driver is a woman wearing high heels. This has been illustrated in accompanying FIG. 1.
In this Figure, reference 10 represents the floor of the vehicle, 12 the floor mat of conventional type, 14 one of the control pedals of the vehicle, and 16 the driver's shoe, this shoe having a heel 18.
As this Figure shows, the rear part 20 of the heel and the upper 22 of the shoe are in contact with the floor mat 12 and are thus subject, by the relative movement, to the effect of abrasion due to the deposit of gravel or sand stagnant on the floor mat 12.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a floor mat for automobile vehicle which overcomes the drawback set forth hereinabove, whilst ensuring comfort for the driver.